Audience Response: I chose to create a social media page for my book so that fans could interact with me and give me their feedback. I love to talk to them and answer any of their questions about the college process, finding work, or even just about the book. You can follow me on instagram @TrevorsRoad (shameless plug) and comment on my pictures and tell me what you thought.
Characters: Me (Trevor) and Trevor's parents
Plot: Trevor is in the midst of his college application process when his family's financial situation takes a devastating turn. It is up to Trevor to figure out how to get into college and the right way to succeed afterward with a degree in hand.
Setting: Modern day, United States.
Overarching theme: Today's youth should not be promised a false reality. A college degree is no longer equivalent to immediate success, but success is always within reach if you want it enough.
Characters: Me (Trevor) and Trevor's parents
Plot: Trevor is in the midst of his college application process when his family's financial situation takes a devastating turn. It is up to Trevor to figure out how to get into college and the right way to succeed afterward with a degree in hand.
Setting: Modern day, United States.
Overarching theme: Today's youth should not be promised a false reality. A college degree is no longer equivalent to immediate success, but success is always within reach if you want it enough.
Here are some of the first comments I ever received from fans and readers. I chose to included some of the negative feedback as well in order to expand the diversity of the criticism. The very first picture I received was easily the most popular in response. At the end of my caption, I asked the question "What was your favorite part?" to open up a discussion on my social media. My very first comment was about how I was able to "bring a sheltered topic to life". In the aim of my story, I did my best to expose one of the biggest issues students are currently dealing with which is the proper way to handle the college process, but also how to find work and success when you have your diploma. Currently more than 4 out of 5 undergraduates leave school without a job, but we're still pressing this idea into children of immediate success once you receive your college education. People are now wondering if their degrees hold weight anymore in finding jobs. Other comments included comparing me to popular TV character Caillou, but I chose not to take it to offense. These could be a couple of unemployed students who are projecting their problems onto me because they cannot find work, and my book is all about promoting the opposite of their current situations so that more students aren't ending up in that direction.
On this post, I didn't ask a prompt. I shared a photograph of myself on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon so that fans could tune in to hear any new questions I might answer, but also to see the fun side of my personality when we played a game! It was a great time because I've always been a huge Jimmy fan. One of the most interesting questions that I received on this post was "I loved the book, but I think you could have made the kid shoot a little higher than just a state school. Don't you want to teach students to reach for the stars?" I think it was actually extremely important that I shared the kind of school that I went to because often enough, state schools (in your state) offer nice financial packages to students, especially for minorities. I went to Clemson because it was the best choice for myself and my family financially, but it was also the best experience of my life. I loved the school that I went to and the people I was fortunate enough to meet. We must stop drilling into the brains of our youth that being accepted into an Ivy League college is equivalent to "the stars". The stars are different for everyone. For me it is the school that will offer me the most opportunities to succeed, and Clemson did just that.
This post was a huge thank you to everyone who supported me and got me to this point in my life. The caption also did not have a discussion prompt, but it happened to blossom anyway. One specific commenter @naomifdavis thanked me for sharing my story. She recently read it to her five AND sixteen year old daughters which to me was so very interesting. Such a wide age range between daughters, but the story was still able to resonate between them both! It also inspired their mother about the way she would approach the college process with her kids. She explained that it will help her guide her kids on a successful path to education.
The back cover of my book gave me the most difficulty to create because I had to figure out the most effective way to summarize my story in a short and concise manner, but also make it easy for kids to understand. It reads "Trevor has his mind made up about where he wants to go to college, but when his family gets bad news he has to figure out how to make it there on his own! Trevor will learn that things do not always go as planned, but that hard work really pays off." I was fortunate enough to travel around the country and read my book to kids in book stores. One of the women who I was grateful enough to have attend my reading brought her younger sister. She commented on my genuineness which I deeply appreciated because I did my best to give a real and true impact on our youth about the college process. What we are told is not reality, and we should properly be preparing our students accordingly to the truth. That was the purpose behind my book and the message I hope to continue spreading with my work.